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HomeMy Public PortalAboutvillage-manager-annual-report-2019-2020 HARBOUR -VILLAGE - BAL OFFICE OF THE VILLAGE MANAGER MEMORANDUM TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Village Council FROM: Jorge M. Gonzalez, Village Manager DATE: November 10, 2020 SUBJECT: Village Manager’s Annual Report 2019-2020 On November 12, 2020, I will complete my seventh year of service with Bal Harbour Village as your Village Manager. I continue to be honored by the privilege of serving as Village Manager of our beautiful community. This Annual Report is a summary of the many activities, achievements and accomplishments we can be proud of over the past year. I have aligned this report with the Bal Harbour Mission, Vision and Values of our organization. The report highlights key intended outcomes and successes over the past year in delivering The Bal Harbour Experience – that distinctive feeling one experiences when living in or visiting our unique, exclusive, curated and refined community. Pursuant to Section 5.3 of our employment agreement, the Village Council shall evaluate the performance of the Village Manager each year. This memorandum, my Annual Report to you, summarizes the activities we have undertaken this past year and the resulting accomplishments. As I have done in the past, I have attached a form developed by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) modified for use by Bal Harbour Village, which you may want to use as you consider reviewing the achievements of the past year. Please be reminded that this information is subject to the Florida Sunshine Law and should be used with that consideration. Our strategic plan has clear goals, established priorities, and provides the direction for our organization. Over the past year, we have continued to focus our efforts on these priorities, and we continue to align our resources to achieve these goals. As in past years, I have directed the organization to work diligently on these goals. This year, however, has proven to be uniquely challenging given the impacts of COVID-19 early this year. The ability to immediately pivot to face affects of the pandemic and provide the proper new services or guidance is noteworthy for the staff and the organization. The Village was challenged to essentially transform what it does and how it does it practically on a moment’s notice. I am especially proud of how the staff came together, repurposed their responsibilities and took on new and different tasks to ensure that our Village received the highest level of service and safety. This was done successfully and seamlessly. The following specific efforts, detailed below, are worthy to highlight as they took a significant amount of time and energy this past year. Since my last Annual Report to you in November 2019, our fiscal year started out stronger than ever, with many positive initiatives taking place in Bal Harbour Village and our team worked hard to put in place the necessary measures to ensure significant progress on many of our established priorities and objectives. We began the year with a focus on one of our top priorities and areas of focus in the Village, Capital Improvement Projects (CIP). The completion of these various CIP projects will add and enhance world-class amenities in our Village. With the formalization last year of the Village’s CIP Program, progress is being made on several fronts, including on our waterfront park, the jetty, and the Parks and Public Spaces facility in North Miami. We are nearly at 100% of construction drawing phase for the Bal Harbour Waterfront Park, which will provide a new community center and park amenities, such as a splash pad, kayak launch and playground. This project will now also include the complete reconstruction of the seawall. Just last week, the Architectural Review Board approved the plans. We are preparing bid documents and have submitted plans for permit review, by the Building Department and other authorities having jurisdiction. It is expected that we will be ready to award a construction contract early in the new calendar year. We also continued progress on the design services for the Bal Harbour Jetty/96 Street-end project to enhance the use of the jetty, cut-walk and 96th street end as public spaces for the community. The project is currently in the Design Development Phase and the consultant has completed 95% of this phase. Construction is projected to begin in FY2022. In September, we received final notification that the Miami-Dade County General Obligation (G.O. Bond) Program allocated $7.5 million in funding toward this project. In addition, we have conducted extensive construction analysis and probable cost estimating to ensure that the project as designed is buildable and within estimated funds available. Finally, we bid, executed the contract and broke ground on the project to renovate the Operations Facility, which will provide administrative offices and warehouse for the Village’s Parks and Public Spaces Department, and will provide an area that can be used as the Village Emergency Operations Center, if a storm event renders our present facility inoperable. Construction is ongoing and substantial completion is expected by the end of the year. Our Five-Year CIP Program includes a variety of above ground and below ground utility projects. Several of these projects began this year and are in progress, including all of the following: Utility Infrastructure Project Park Drive area north of Harbour Way, entails replacing 70 feet of Sanitary Sewer line, water main replacement using pipe bursting and horizontal drilling methods, drainage improvements at Bal Cross Drive from Biscay Drive to Bal Bay Drive intersection, and several hundred feet of curb/gutter throughout the project. The project is nearing completion and should be fully completed by December 2020; Utility Infrastructure Project North Miami Emergency Water Main-Park Drive involves the installation of new twenty (20) inch diameter emergency transmission water main from the north end of Bal Bay Drive running south along Park Drive adjacent to the Village Park with approximately 5,200 linear feet ending at the south end near the basketball courts. The north/south phase of the project up to the Bal Cross intersection has been substantially completed and the remaining westerly section towards the Bal Bay intersection along Park should be completely done by the first quarter of 2021. Our beach remains one of our most important assets in the Village. Unfortunately, sargassum seaweed deposits continue to impact our area during the summer months. Our service provider and staff continue to collect and dispose of these deposits frequently, and this past summer our efforts were coordinated with Miami Dade County to ensure efficient and timely removals at no cost to the Village. The beach renourishment and sand-bypass projects continue to be critical priorities for the Village. We have coordinated with the various Federal, State and local agencies to ensure that the significant renourishment project is begun and completed during the next calendar year. When faced with a significant potential delay due to additional requirements from the regulatory bodies, the Village stepped in and funded and contracted for the additional analysis in an expedited manner, so as to not allow for a potential six to nine month delay. Having completed the analysis, this project is now scheduled to begin February-March 2021, with the project timeline estimated to take four (4) to six (6) months to complete. The Sand By-Pass Project, is in the final stages of the process to plan a permanent sand bypassing system which would move sand from Haulover Beach Park to our beach. This process has involved modeling sand transport and discussing the sediment budget across the inlet, as well as exploring bypass alternatives, with a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), of which the Village is a member. The current recommendation is to construct a 164-foot extension to the north jetty at Haulover Inlet to capture more sand flowing from north to south, and mechanically bypass that sand via dredging along the shoreline every 4-6 years. Comments have been issued to MDC/FDEP after every TAC meeting and review of Feasibility Study drafts. Currently, we are awaiting the final Feasibility Study for review and comment. This report is a necessary step in the process of updating the Bakers Haulover Inlet Management Plan which will designate permit attainable project concepts. This past year, a significant renegotiation of the Milestone Agreement between the Village and the Bal Harbour Civic Association (BHCA) was finalized. During late 2019 and early 2020, discussions were conducted between the Village and the BHCA, based on an expressed desire to amend the existing Milestone Agreement. On June 16, 2020, the Village Council adopted Resolution No. 2020-1309 approving the Amended and Restated Milestone Agreement. Much of the current agreement remained in the form of Continued Commitments, but the proposed Amended and Restated Agreement no longer progresses toward BHCA self-administration of the annual special assessments. Designated representatives are now prescribed to engage with the Village Administration, in order to foster a strong collaborative relationship. Also, the term of the agreement was extended twenty (20) years until 2047. In addition to the proposed Amended and Restated Milestone Agreement, a Community Road Paving Agreement was also approved as a part of the adopted Resolution. This Agreement prescribes the future milling and resurfacing of the Gated Community road surfaces upon completion of the Village Infrastructure Improvement Project Phases. Language within the agreement provides for a formulative cost share to complete the paving of the roads in conjunction with the completion of specific portions of the ongoing utility work. Our resort tax collections this past fiscal year took an obvious hit due to the impacts of the pandemic. The first five months of the year (October 1– February 29), however, started out with record results for tourism in Bal Harbour, with record collections exceeding the same period of the previous record year by 5%. For those first five months, our restaurants and hotels were experiencing record high volume. And our special community programming included a number of events during these five months, including two separate movies on the beach; family excursions to Lion Country Safari and Jurassic World Live; our Holiday Lighting ceremony and holiday events including complimentary yoga on the beach, the New Year’s Eve fireworks, and the New Year’s Day Chamber Music Festival; Museum Access visits to the Frost Science Museum, the Jewish Museum of Florida – FIU, and History Miami Museum for a special Super Bowl exhibit; two South Beach Wine and Food Festival events in Bal Harbour; and sponsoring the Super Bowl Host Committee event at the Bal Harbour Shops. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as early as March, however, made the remainder of the year extremely challenging due to the travel restrictions, restaurant closures, hotel closures and beach closures for intermittent periods of time between March through August. We have worked closely with all of the hotels, the restaurants, and the Bal Harbour Shops to facilitate the interpretation of the various local and state orders issued as well as assist with their ongoing ability to operate within the confines of the pandemic and the requirements set forth in these various orders. Since we knew that Resort Tax collections would be greatly diminished during this period, I immediately took steps to curtail our spending. We aggressively reduced expenses on both the marketing and beautification sides of the budget to ensure that we closed the year without a deficit. We are closely monitoring revenue collection on a monthly basis to ensure that we are also fiscally prudent in our spending for the FY 2020-2021 year as well. Since the approval of the Development Agreement with the Bal Harbour Shops in May 2017, I remain in close contact with management from the Shops to continue to monitor the development of the project, facilitate the resolution of issues as they may arise, and ensure that the provisions of the agreement are abided by. This year, several items of the Development Agreement triggered many of the public benefits to the Village, most significant was the closing on the transfer of the SunTrust Bank Building to the Village, which took place in June of this year. This transfer was accomplished despite the recent outreach from the Bal Harbour Shops ownership to discuss several elements of the Development Agreement in light of the impacts of COVID -19 on their operations The 2020 General Election in Bal Harbour resulted in the two candidates up for election being re-elected without opposition, which means our Village Council will remain unchanged. Unopposed elections are typically synonymous with general satisfaction in the community. This year, the voting precinct in Bal Harbour was moved from the Recreation Center to Village Hall for the November 3, 2020 General Election. In-person voting at this precinct totaled 251 and the total votes cast in Bal Harbour, including in- person, mail-in and early voting totaled 1,718. The Charter Question on the ballot passed with 1,134 voting in favor and 330 voting against. With the passage of this charter change, homeowners in single family homes in the Village would be allowed to build the available height without being impacted by the base flood requirements, now, or in the future should they be changed. Undoubtably, this past year has had its share of unprecedented challenges. Once the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic began impacting our community in early March, a great deal of time and energy was spent on efforts to minimize impacts to Bal Harbour Village. As was the case in many jurisdictions, the preparation and response efforts to the pandemic became a top priority. From early on, our decisions and efforts regarding the pandemic were measured, driven by the best available recommended medical advice and guidance, and carefully considered in order to ensure the overall safety and well-being of our residents and the entire Bal Harbour Village community. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted all levels of society, not just in our community. As early as February 26, I met with key members of our Administration to make preparations for our comprehensive response to the possible outbreak of the COVID-19 virus locally. In early March, our management team began to meet twice a day, to discuss and focus on the impacts of COVID-19 in our community. We worked closely with Miami-Dade County to monitor the situation and coordinate our efforts. I issued several local Executive Orders and ensured the enforcement of all County, State and Federal orders and proclamations. Since becoming your Manager seven years ago, one of my top goals has been to build a high performing and resilient organization that meets the needs of the community efficiently and effectively, and that is regarded among the best amongst our peers. On several fronts related to the response to the pandemic, Bal Harbour Village played a lead role in the community. On March 5, after the Wall Street Journal published a news story regarding a New York City positive COVID-19 case connection to Bal Harbour Village, our team, along with Mayor Groisman, met with the Mayor of Miami-Dade County and representatives from the Florida Department of Health (FDOH), to share feedback with both the County and the FDOH about our experience. Based on this input, the FDOH agreed to put in place better measures to improve their communication efforts with all local entities in similar situations as what we had experienced. Bal Harbour Village, led by the Mayor and myself, initiated a conference call on March 23 with all Miami-Dade County coastal and neighboring Mayors and Managers to coordinate on issues of mutual concerns. This group included Key Biscayne, Miami Beach, North Bay Village, Surfside, Indian Creek, Bay Harbor Islands, Sunny Isles Beach, Golden Beach, Aventura, and North Miami Beach. These calls took place weekly for many months throughout the pandemic and proved to be valuable in coordinating issues of mutual concern with the coastal cities. It is safe to say that they would not have occurred, but for the leadership of the Bal Harbour Village. Along with the City of Miami Beach, we were the first municipality in the County to issue a “Safer at Home” order strongly urging residents to remain in their homes, unless conducting essential business. This order was subsequently adopted by several other neighboring cities and eventually the County. We were also the first municipality in Miami- Dade County to issue an order regarding the isolation of individuals traveling to Bal Harbour Village, requiring a 14-day quarantine for all persons arriving here from 13 different U.S. states and areas with the largest documented substantial community spread of the virus. This order was also soon thereafter adopted by many other cities. I worked with the city managers of several municipalities, in particular with the City of Sunny Isles Beach, to coordinate the issuance of an Order pertaining to restrictions on construction sites, which was issued on April 7, and defines the construction related activities permitted in the Village. Police Chief Raleigh Flowers coordinated several meetings of local area Police Chiefs to discuss issues and concerns relative to enforcement efforts and strategies during COVID - 19. The Chief also participated in various discussions with the Miami-Dade County Police, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) regarding the review of recommendations pertaining to the eventual re-opening of the marinas and waterways in South Florida. Through his position as the President of the Miami-Dade City/County Management Association (MDCCMA), Assistant Village Manager Ramiro Inguanzo coordinated and led the agenda and discussions for weekly meetings with all city managers and management in Miami-Dade County, to discuss issues of mutual concern and exchange ideas. Also, through this role, he was invited by Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez to join his “Moving to a New Normal” Task Force and participated frequently in ongoing discussions with the County team, and led the County Mayor’s subgroup on the re-opening of beaches, parks, marinas, golf courses. Keeping our community and residents informed is always an important part of our emergency management plan. Our communication efforts during the pandemic have been as frequent and thorough as possible. Since March, 64 community updates and notices have been sent to residents and other community stakeholders via our various communication platforms to keep the community updated and informed. In addition, a total of 50 “Boredom Busters” providing daily creative tips on cultural offerings and other information were sent during the height of the pandemic. We also created a weekly conference call with all of the condo / building and hotel managers to share details and field questions from them. These became weekly conference calls that are still in place today as a way to continue sharing information about COVID-19 as well as other Village matters. And on March 17, we became one of the first cities in the County to transition to a completely virtual platform for all public meetings, which remained in place through October when the Governor’s State Order on virtual meetings expired. In an effort to keep our community safe, our team worked to bring Telemedicine and COVID-19 Screening in the 33154 Zip Code for residents of Bal Harbour Village, Bay Harbor Islands, Surfside, and Indian Creek Village. Various options for community members to get evaluated and receive care from medical professionals in several convenient settings including virtual visits and a drive-thru screening site were available from May 6 through May 29. It is estimated that several thousand people were tested at this site during this time period. Lastly, the Village partnered with the Bal Harbour Shops to distribute over 1,000 masks to our residents and another 4,0 00 to local hospitals and medical facilities. Immediately afterwards, the Village and the Shops partnered again and placed an additional order for 5,000 special cloth facial coverings/masks for distribution to all Village residents. Throughout the pandemic, our Village Administration continued to provide essential municipal services. Although Village Hall was closed to the public, we continued to take calls, answered questions by phone and email, and made appointments with residents or vendors who needed to meet in person. The response plan we developed for the Village allows us to respond effectively to current and anticipated environmental, medical, economic, and political conditions due to the virus. We remain proactive, flexible and capable of maintaining responsive level of services and provide for a safe environment for our residents, visitors, and employees. Our development of last year’s budget and financial reporting once again earned the Village the Government Finance Officers Award (GFOA) Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the fifth year in a row. The FY 2019-2020 budget was developed to ensure that The Bal Harbour Experience continues to be fulfilled, with a low millage rate which remains unchanged for the fourth year in a row, resulting in the reduction of the millage by 4.6% since 2015 and a cumulative reduction of 32.27% since 2004. Notwithstanding the above mentioned and the need to redirect much of our resources to COVID-19 related activities, we continued to work this past year to make significant progress on many of our established priorities and objectives. Below is a full summary of the results of our work this past year in each of the areas that are the pillars of The Bal Harbour Experience: Safety Ensuring public safety is a top priority for local governments and remains paramount to ensure our community’s quality of life. The Bal Harbour Police Department continues to focus resources on its primary mission – to provide excellent public safety services to our residents, businesses and visitors. Our police department remains dedicated to a community-oriented policing model, focused on increased police visibility through innovative directed patrol activities, and enhanced readiness for high liability incidents. By implementing these innovative community policing strategies and ensuring the visibility of police in our community, the department has been able to leverage technology and training to enhance the delivery of their services. I am proud to report that Bal Harbour Village experienced no violent crimes in 2019, as indexed annually for Bal Harbour Village by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). 2019 Total Part I UCR Crimes were up 28.9% due to an increase in retail larcenies; however, when compared to 2014 when the community policing model was first implemented, the total Part I UCR Crimes were still down by 9.2%. Officer health and safety is always at the forefront of department operations. Coordinating the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) for our personnel became essential for department operations, and in light of the high demand nationwide for PPE for first responders, we are happy to report that the department quickly identified and acquired the sufficient PPE gear necessary for department operations. As mentioned earlier, members of our team played a lead role regionally, and Chief Flowers spearheaded regional law enforcement calls with Miami-Dade County Chiefs to discuss multi-jurisdictional challenges and issues, as well as enforcement strategies related to the COVID-19 response. Organizational, leadership development and training of our police officers took place this past year in several areas, including: training all officers in building search/active shooter tactics utilizing our “Simunition” (non-lethal training simulated ammunition) program; participation in the Southern Police Institute, Command Officer Development Course, Senior Officer Leadership and Development Course; trained one (1) additional officer as a firearm instructor, and this officer was able to assist the department during the annual qualification process for BHPD officers; and one (1) additional Officer became a certified Police Defensive Tactics Instructor. In addition, staff from our department continued to conduct Autism Awareness Trainings for Law Enforcement professionals throughou t the state of Florida, with a total of nine (9) trainings this past year. To date, over 30,000 Florida Law Enforcement Officers have participated in this important and relevant training. We continue to increase our community outreach, activities and events. The police department’s efforts enhanced community partnerships with department personnel, facilitated an opportunity to share crime prevention strategies, and elicit feedback from residents and business owners regarding community concerns. Some notable events included the: Cops & Kids, Holiday Toy Drive, Book Bag Give Away, Veterans Day Ceremony, Feeding Homeless Veterans, participation in Child Cancer Awareness Month and Command Staff participation in the Bal Harbour Rotary Club. The department also coordinated the security and logistics for a multi-agency Super Bowl event which took place at the Bal Harbour Shops just a few days before Super Bowl Sunday. Planning activities for the Rotary Club 5K were conducted; however, this event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as were all other official events since March. We also continue to make progress on police technology initiatives, having completed the Village’s most significant implementation to date – Computer Aided Dispatch and Records Management (CAD-RMS). In addition, the department is finalizing the implementation of Telestaff, which will automate the scheduling of police resources, as well as time and attendance submittals to the Payroll Section of the Finance Department. Other technology initiatives this year include the License Plate Reader technology (LPR) program. I am happy to report that the mobile LPRs have been installed in four patrol vehicles, the LPR trailer (VMS sign) and one fixed LPR location. The department also continues to promote the use of Crime Tips email address (CrimeTips@balharbourfl.gov) aimed at generating tips on investigations. Continue to grow participation in “The Exchange”, a two-way communication initiative, for residents & business owners about arrests, crime prevention tips, fraud offenses and wanted subject information. At my direction, and as part of our emergency preparedness efforts, the Bal Harbour Police Department engaged with representatives of the Bal Harbour, Bay Harbour Islands, Indian Creek, Sunny Isles and Surfside Police and Public Works Departments to encourage dialogue between neighboring municipalities, as to how we would respond to major hurricanes or emergencies. We are prepared to respond to these emergencies, as was apparent this year with the early threat of Hurricane Isaias in July and the potential impacts of Tropical Storm Eta just his week. Beautiful Environment and Destination & Amenities Having an aesthetically pleasing setting and a beautiful environment, destination and amenities for our residents and visitors is a key component of The Bal Harbour Experience. We continue to invest in improving the appearance of the Village through increased routine maintenance and cleaning of our public areas. In addition to the activities mentioned earlier in this memo, other significant efforts were undertaken this past year. On December 19, 2019, the Village Council adopted Resolution No. 2019-1271, approving the Continuing Services Agreement with Cummins Cederberg, Inc., to provide the Village with support staff for the Coastal Management Program and related professional support for Village wide Sustainability and Resiliency initiatives. Additionally, the consultant will also stay up to date with agencies, stakeholders, and projects in the vicinity of or those with the potential to affect Bal Harbour’s beach and dune system. This program was developed to provide dedicated support with a focus on the continuous management of Bal Harbour Beach and the adjacent coastal area within the Village. In addition, we performed periodic and prior to storm event, drone flights to assess coastal erosion assessments; replaced 9,600 linear feet of nylon rope on the dunes with marine grade rope to withstand ultraviolet rays and salt spray; and created beach furniture storage areas behind the Majestic Condominiums and the Plaza Condominiums by utilizing landscaping as screens. Our efforts to promote Village recycling also continued, with site visits to all multifamily condominiums along Collins Avenue and meetings with management representatives to review their collection programs and provide site specific recommendations for recycling enhancements. Additionally, staff has worked with the Village solid waste service provider to continue service delivery improvements. These efforts have resulted in a 70% year over year reduction in sanitation service complaints and all scheduled service days completed by the vendor without a missed pickup. We continue to pursue the implementation of smart policies and strategic solutions in order to remain a resilient and sustainable community. This past year, we have: continued our efforts to coordinate with Miami Dade County, the State of Florida and the United States Army Corps of Engineers to advance the Sand Bypass Project. This draft plan is under review and the Bal Harbour Sand bypass approach for sand replenishment has received positive feedback from the regulatory agencies, with work continuing; engagement of Coastal Systems International, Inc. to provide dedicated support staff to develop and provide an overall coastal management program for the Bal Harbour Beach and the adjacent coastal area; Utility Masterplan stormwater system rehabilitation work to repair and upgrade the existing Village stormwater system components; Village membership in the American Flood Coalition to broaden our regional engagement and enhance our knowledge with regard to sustainability and resiliency issues; and coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and Miami Dade County to prepare for the planned Beach Nourishment Project in the summer of 2021. We conducted a Village inundation analysis and will be working on appropriate amendments to the Comprehensive Plan informed by the results of the study. Our landscaping in public areas is key to our beautification efforts. This past year, despite the budgetary decisions made to scale back certain efforts. We maintained our existing levels of landscaping services, which included: the routine replacement of landscaping in Founders Circle; the replacement of landscaping behind the Harbour Way bus stop on Collins Avenue; the installation of River Rock at the bridge approach on 96th Street to eliminate runoff from stormwater; the restoration of the landscaping from the Phase 2B and 3A Utility Master Plan Project; began an in-house irrigation maintenance in April by utilizing Village Staff to help with budget impacts; and conducted 24 landscape plan reviews and inspections. Our cleanliness efforts are also key to ensuring that our public spaces remain beautiful. These efforts resulted in: decreased sanitation service complaints by 70%; decreased damaged dumpster complaints in the Oceanfront Condominiums by 40%; garbage fluids spills decreased by 66%, provided additional bulk inspections utilizing in-house staff; and renewed the Disaster Debris Management Site (DDMS) Permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for hurricane debris storage. As a result of the pandemic, we reduced street sweeping services to cut costs but implemented increased litter control in the streets utilizing Village Staff in order to maintain the same level of service. On a transportation note, this past year, there was progress made on the bus consolidation study. As you may recall, in June 2018, the Village Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Bal Harbour Village, the Town of Surfside and the Town of Bay Harbor Islands to collaboratively work to research and assess the development of a more cost-effective shuttle bus operation for all three municipalities. Subsequently, the Lehman Center for Transportation Research (LCTR) at Florida International University (FIU) was engaged and completed the research and assessment to develop a more cost- effective inter-local shuttle bus operation and transit routing in Surfside, Bal Harbour and Bay Harbor Islands that better mobility needs of residents and visitors. On November 19, 2019, the Village Council adopted Resolution No. 2019-1267 accepting the Bal Harbour Village, the Town of Surfside and the Town of Bay Harbor Islands FIU Shuttle System Final Report. The Resolution also authorized the amendment of the existing MOU to provide for the continued collaboration of the three municipalities, while the findings and recommendations receive further assessment. A Request for Proposals (RFP), is currently under development with further discussion of this initiative to be conducted upon the completion of the procurement activities. The assessment with related procurement activities, will form the basis of the final unified recommendation be presented to all three elected bodies for further consideration. Exclusivity and Access Engaging our residents and connecting them with the many benefits of living in Bal Harbour Village has been something we have worked hard at for many years. During this past year, we continued to engage our residents and visitors through our public events and programming. Our communication efforts and outreach with our residents and other stake-holders, such as the general managers of all the condominiums and hotels, especially during the pandemic, increased in order to ensure that our community is as connected as possible with their government. Traditionally, we produced printed newsletters and postcards advising our community of important information and sharing news about past and upcoming special events. This past year we did produce a Fall and Winter edition of our newsletter but suspended the Spring and Summer editions due to the pandemic. As a result of the pandemic, more than ever, we used digital communication efforts, including the My Bal Harbour mobile Application (App), the Wireless Emergency Notification System (WENS), e-mails, social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), and our government and tourism websites to stay actively connected with our residents and tourists. Our events for our residents and hotel guests included: the continuation of the Museum Access Program providing entry and access to all Bal Harbour residents and hotel guests to the top museum and cultural institutions in South Florida; the kick-off to the holiday season with the lighting of the enhanced holiday décor on Founders Circle and along Collins Avenue in November; the launch of two weeks of daily yoga on the beach overlooking the Jetty during the Winter holidays; a New Year’s Eve Fireworks Display; and a New Year’s Day Open Air Classical Music performance near the Jetty. Bal Harbour Village was also one of the Host Sponsor for the “Official Miami Super Bowl Host Committee VIP Event” in late January which entertained over 2,500 guests at the Bal Harbour Shops just prior to Super Bowl Sunday. During Art Basel, as part of our Unscripted Art Program, residents and hotel guests were invited to attend several exclusive events, including: a VIP Brunch, Private Tour of the Teresita Fernandez Exhibit at the PAMM, and an Art Chat afterwards with the Artist; The Miami Art Week VIP Opening Reception at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA); a VIP Collectors Breakfast at National YoungArts Foundation; a home tour of the De La Cruz Private Collection; and four satellite Fairs. Our focus on the culinary arts again included the South Beach Wine and Food Festival (SBWFF) in February in which Bal Harbour hosted Dwayne Wade for an intimate dinner at the Ritz-Carlton, and a wine and chocolate pairing held at Vasalissa Chocolatier. The second edition of Bal Harbour’s Haute Cuisine was canceled due to the pandemic. Unfortunately, we had to cancel all other special events that had been scheduled to take place between March and the end of the FY. We are in the process of having the annual winter holiday lights and décor installed in time for the holiday season and are exploring plans for a “virtual” holiday lighting ceremony. In our recreation area this year, prior to March 16, we hosted nearly 6,000 residents and their guests in Bal Harbour Park; produced two seasonal Movies on the Beach with total attendance of nearly 350 participants; conducted seasonal basketball skill clinics for children ages 5 to 13 years of age, totaling nearly 300 participants; and produced three successful excursions for residents, with a total of nearly 300 participants. The Park and Playground have remained closed since March and no events have taken place since then. Organizational Priorities and Internal Infrastructure Safeguarding the fiscal integrity of the Village and ensuring the functionality of our infrastructure is a daily priority -one that is not so noticeable when all is going right -but typically engenders unfavorable attention when it goes wrong, which could have been the case as a result of the negative economic impacts of the pandemic. Our fiscal prudence and careful stewardship of the FY 2018-2019 budget resulted in a year-end close-out surplus of $5.8 million. The FY 2019-2020 is still being audited and pending final close-out, but I can safely report that the measures we took immediately upon the onset of the COVID pandemic will ensure that we will end the year without the need to use emergency fund balance reserves. In addition we tracked all of our efforts during the pandemic and have been aggressive in our efforts to seek reimbursement of eligible costs from FEMA or Miami Dade County through the CARES Act. The budget development process for the FY 2020-2021 year was a challenging one given the level of uncertainty regarding projected revenue declines in Ad Valorem as well as other revenues impacted by the pandemic. We were tasked with developing a process for the Council to consider a series of efficiency/reduction alternatives for the coming year. The process was created with an eye towards making sound, strategic and fiscally prudent decisions, from a menu of options and categories for consideration. The process allowed for robust discussion and consensus in an orderly manner. Earlier this year, we were able to secure funding for significant portion of the below ground water system through debt. The Village was able to borrow approximately $8 million with a historically low interest. This opportunity came together early-on in the pandemic while there was considerable uncertainty in the economic market. Out planning and ability to move quickly allowed us to secure available and needed resources in a very favorable manner. These funds will be used over the few years to fund the Water infrastructure portion of our CIP. In the last few years, we have completed a number of IT infrastructure improvements and productivity software implementations, that help create a more efficient and effective working environment. Changing social distancing norms due to the COVID-19 pandemic created a greater demand for a virtual work environment, including establishing a virtual Village Hall, and continuing to provide services to all Village stakeholders, while, at the same time, ensuring the health and safety of both stakeholders and Village employees. As a result, the Information Technology Department focused a great deal of its efforts into implementing software solutions, as well as procuring and installing the necessary equipment to support the continuation of government services during the Village’s COVID-19 response. Our implementation of the GoTo Webinar software for Village Council Meetings allowed for effective virtual meetings, while allowing the public to seamlessly participate and comment on Village business. With increased cybersecurity threats to local governments, we continue to develop best practices for our IT environment, including enhanced security and employee training. This year, we fortified our first line of defense against cyber attackers by implementing employee security awareness training software to educate all employees on common techniques utilized by cyber attackers, such as phishing emails, malware downloads and virus infected attachments, as well as deploying automated campaigns and trainings to reinforce the importance of cyber security. Much like in prior years, we continue to review our systems and operations, and continue our efforts to establish appropriate controls and further improve our business processes. Conclusion The past year has definitely been unique in many ways and challenging given the uncertainties, anxiety, and issues caused by COVID-19. Our decisions and efforts during the pandemic were measured, driven by the best available recommended medical advice and guidance, and in conjunction with Miami-Dade County, the Florida Department of Health, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Our actions were carefully considered and implemented in order to ensure the overall safety and well-being of our residents and the entire Bal Harbour community. Although the pandemic consumed a great portion of our time over the past year, we never-the-less, accomplished a great deal. From a personal perspective, during this past year, I remained actively involved in the Miami-Dade City/County Management Association, (MDCCMA), the Florida City/County Management Association (FCCMA), and as a member of the International Committee of the International City/County Management Association, one of the most competitive of committees to be appointed to in ICMA. This past year I was a guest speaker of ICMA on local government governance in the Americas at a conference in the Dominican Republic. Other staff continue to serve on the boards of their respective professional associations, including Chief Flowers as the immediate Past President of the Miami-Dade Police Chiefs Association and Assistant Village Manager Ramiro Inguanzo who was re-elected to a second term as the President of the Miami-Dade City/County Management Association. Involvement in regional leadership organizations is another example of our efforts to encourage career development, as well as the quality of staff we can attract to Bal Harbour Village. I am proud of the work we have accomplished this past year and over the past seven years. During this time, our organization has transformed into one where accountability, professionalism and innovation remain an integral part of how we function collectively. This is made possible by the continued guidance and support from the Village Council, particularly through the work done at our Village Council retreats. Our third retreat this year built on the work we had done at our previous retreats and solidified the priorities we continue to focus on. Through these collective efforts, we have made significant strides in building an organization that we can all be proud. We continue to strive for excellence in how we serve the community, and the value we offer all of our stakeholders. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to serve as the Village Manager in Bal Harbour Village. I look forward to continuing to lead our organization and working with all of you and our Village team on our priorities and goals this upcoming year and beyond. I will be speaking with each of you one-on-one about what we have collectively achieved this past year and how, together, we can continue working together to achieve The Bal Harbour Experience! Attachment: ICMA Village Manager Performance Evaluation Guideline International City/ County Management Association Village Manager Performance Evaluation Guideline This form may be used by each Member of the Village Council to evaluate the Village Manager's performance in fulfilling each of the roles he plays in the Village's government. The Village Manager is graded 1-4, with the following scale: 1 -poor 2-fair 3-good 4 -excellent Each member of the Council should complete the form and share/discuss it with the Village Manager. The Village Manager will compile the results and tally the scores. 1. Personal Invests sufficient efforts towards being diligent and thorough In the discharge of duties. Composure, appearance, and attitude fitting for an individual in his executive position. 2. Professional Skills and Status Knowledge. of current developments affecting the management field. Respected in management profession. __· Has a capacity for innovation. Anticipates problems and develops effective approaches for solving them. Willing to try new ideas proposed by Council members or staff. 3. Relations with Council Carries out directives of the Council as a whole rather than those of any one Council member. Page 1 of4 F:IPD ADMINIOOlORES\VM Eva~VM Perform= EvalualiOII Guida 2014.do! Assists the Council in resolving problems at the administrative level to avoid unnecessary Council action. Assists the Council in establishing policy while acknowledging the ultimate authority of the Council. Responds to requests for information or assistance by the Council. 4. Policy Execution Implements Council action in accordance with the intent of the Council. Supports the actions of the Village Council after a decision has been reached. Enforces Village policies. Understands Village's-laws and ordinances. Offers workable alternatives to the Council for changes in the law when an ordinance or policy proves Impractical in actual administration. 5. Re1iortlng Provides the Council with reports concerning matters of importance to the Village. Reports are accurate and comprehensive. Prepares a sound agenda which prevents trivial, administrative matters from being reviewed by the Council. 6. Citizen Relations Handles comp!aints/inquiries from citizens appropriately. Dedicated to the community and to its citizens. Skillful with the news media -avoiding political positions and partisanship. Has the capacity to listen to others and to recognize their interest - work well with others. Paga2 of 4 F:IPD AOMINIOOLORE:S\VM EvanVM Pelfannenoe Evafoatlon Gulde 2014.<101 Cooperates with neighboring 'communities. Cooperates with the county, state and federal governments. 7. Staffing Recruits and retains competent personnel for VIiiage positions. Works to Improve performance of staff. Committed to ensuring diversity in the workforce. Accurately informed and concerned about employee insurance, fringe benefits, promotions, and pensions. 8. Supervision Encourages department heads to make decisions within their own jurisdictions without Village Manager approval, yet maintains general control of administrative operations. Instills confidence and initiative in subordinates and emphasizes support rather than restrictive controls for their programs. Has developed a friendly and informal relationship with the work force as a whole, yet maintains the prestige and dignity of the manager office. 9. Fiscal Management Prepares a balanced budget to provide services at a level intended by the Council. Makes the best possible use of available funds, conscious of the need to operate the Village efficiently and effectively. Prepared budget is in an intelligible format. Pagtaof4 F:IPO AOMINIOOLORES\VM eva~VM Performorm Evalualion Guide 2014.dol 10. What have been the major accomplishments of the Village Manager this .past year? 11. What areas of the Village Manager's performance need the most improvement? ·why? What constructive, positive ideas can you offer the Village Manager to improve in these areas? Signature Date F:11'D ADMINIDOLORESIVM EvanVM Pelfonnonce Eveluauon GUide 2014.0'«